Wow, time flies - the end (and your freedom) is in sight as the CFA exams are coming up this week!

How are you feeling? Hopefully, a good mixture of "I-cant-wait-to-get-this-over-with" and a tinge of nervousness - it's usually a good sign that you're as ready as you are! Regardless your stage of preparation, this article highlights a few other things you should consider to best prepare yourself mentally for the upcoming exams.

Best of luck 3H-ers! Let's do this.

​Step 1: Sort out the day's logistics in advance

So let's get this chore out of the way, so that you have a couple of worry-free days to concentrate on the exams and your wellbeing.

But more importantly, things that one may overlook such as planning for lunch in advance (bring your own - it's absolute chaos to get lunch with thousands of other candidates in 1 hour, and go for a loo break before the 2nd half of the day).

Finally, if you're travelling to the exam centre, make sure you plan to arrive much earlier and anticipate traffic jams - you want to be calm and have a good start instead of rushing around really. Double check your flight tickets and hotel bookings details just in case - I've famously booked tickets for the wrong month before, we all get scatter-brained sometimes but it's best to know that in advance!

Make sure you start sleeping earlier and waking up on time to tune your body clock for maximum performance.

Get enough sleep! Insufficient sleep is equivalent to being drunk for the exams.

Use coffee sparingly - while it may offer a short term boost in concentration, it also interferes with your sleep and stress levels.

It's never too late to start eating healthier, especially with some brain food that aids focus and attention span.

Oh, and make sure you don't eat iffy / questionable food a few days before exams. Tummy ache may take a few days to manifest itself - you wouldn't want to spend your precious time in the loo for this!

Step 3: The light studying schedule that you can do

The first thing to accept is that you have done all you can, and you shouldn't stress yourself out the last few days as exam burnouts are likely to have a detrimental effect on your exam performance if you continue to put yourself on a gruelling study schedule.

Given the limited time, my advice would be to do lighter, less-intensive study sessions regardless your level of preparation. It may be counterintuitive, but this is certainly not giving up, but maximising your current knowledge base and state of mind to ace the exams:

Practice papers: You probably have some time to try out a maximum of 2 practice exams. Have a look at our brand new 300 Hours store to get more from a variety of providers of your choice. Regardless the score, take it with a pinch of salt and try them under timed, exam conditions. Or if you can get a free Level 1 Practice Test from us with 60 questions here, with instant results analysis and feedback.

Light reading of your study notes: You probably have an idea on sections/topics that you're weaker in, now is a good time to leisurely go through your notes and some examples to make sure you grasp them prior to the exams.

Get more CFA exams insights: This 300Hours flagship guide gives you data-driven feedback and learnings on what topics most candidates find trickier,

Lastly, I hope my previous Level 1 experience provides some inspiration that this tough challenge can be done! Finishing the exams would be a huge relief and achievement regardless, and it might be fun to plan a little celebration with friends and family as well so you've something to look forward to post exams. The 300 Hours team are here for you throughout this time, so feel free to ask questions, vent or just say hello to the community at our forum!